The present invention relates to condenser for refrigerator and, more particularly, to condenser for refrigerator in which fins have a greater width than a width of tubes, which may result in an expanded heat exchange range and higher heat exchange efficiency and ensure easy installation of the condenser even in a narrow space and efficient implementation of heat exchange.
Generally, refrigerators include a refrigeration cycle that is comprised of a compressor, a condenser, a capillary tube, an evaporator, and the like for sequential circulation of refrigerant. The compressor compresses gas-phase refrigerant into high temperature and high pressure gas-phase refrigerant and provides circulation force for the refrigerant. The compressed high temperature and high pressure gas-phase refrigerant is phase changed into room temperature and high pressure liquid-phase refrigerant while passing through the condenser via heat exchange (heat dissipation) with outside air and, subsequently, changed into low temperature and low pressure liquid-phase refrigerant while passing through the capillary tube. Then, the low temperature and low pressure liquid-phase refrigerant is again phase changed into gas-phase refrigerant via heat exchange (heat absorption) while passing through the evaporator and, thereafter, is returned to the compressor.
Among the respective constituent elements of the refrigeration cycle as described above, the condenser and the evaporator need high heat exchange efficiency.
Especially the condenser is a device that changes high temperature and high pressure gas-phase refrigerant directed from the compressor into liquid-phase refrigerant by cooling the gas-phase refrigerant and is used in a variety of refrigeration and air conditioning products, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and the like.
To explain about additional, heat radiation occurs as gas-phase refrigerant is phase changed into liquid-phase refrigerant because the gas-phase refrigerant, which has absorbed heat through the evaporator, is cooled while passing through the condenser.
In this case, heat radiated from an outdoor unit of an air conditioner or the back of a refrigerator is generated in the condenser. High temperature and high pressure gas-phase refrigerant, introduced into an entrance of the condenser, is cooled while passing through the interior of the condenser, whereby low temperature and high pressure liquid-phase refrigerant is discharged from an exit of the condenser.
In consideration of importance of heat exchange efficiency, the condenser or the evaporator as described above is provided with a plurality of radiation fins. These radiation fins serve to increase heat radiation from high temperature and high pressure refrigerant passing therethrough, thereby contributing to enhancement in heat radiation efficiency.
However, conventional condensers or evaporators have limits to increase a heat radiation area and, consequently, to enhance heat radiation efficiency and heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, developments related thereto are needed urgently.
Meanwhile, a refrigerator functions to keep food and the like refrigerated or frozen by lowering an interior temperature thereof using cold air that is generated by a refrigeration cycle comprised of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator.
In particular, mounted in a machine room defined in a rear bottom region of the refrigerator are the compressor that compresses low temperature and low pressure gas-phase refrigerant directed from the evaporator into high temperature and high pressure gas-phase refrigerant and the condenser that is connected to the compressor and condenses the compressed refrigerant from the compressor into room temperature and high pressure liquid-phase refrigerant.
In this case, for protection of the refrigerator's machine room in which the compressor and the condenser are mounted, the machine room is shield with a machine room cover and a blowing fan used to cool the compressor and the condenser is mounted at the outside of the machine room.
However, due to fact that both the compressor and the condenser are mounted in the machine room, the machine room as described above occupies almost all of a bottom region of the refrigerator, which causes a reduction in the volume of a usable inner space of the refrigerator proportional to the size of the machine room.
In particular, the machine room cover for protection of the compressor and the condenser is secured to the exterior of the machine room to prevent the compressor and the condenser from coming into contact with outside air. While the machine room cover has slits to allow interior heat of the machine room, i.e. heat of the compressor, heat of the refrigerant radiated around the condenser, and the like to be discharged outward, these slits of the machine room cover do not provide rapid heat radiation from the machine room, which inevitably causes increase in the interior temperature of the machine room.